Poland backs Croatia's Schengen ambitions

Poland supports Croatia's bid to join the Schengen Area, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said after meeting with Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric during an official visit to Zagreb on Wednesday.

"I hope that next time when I come to Zagreb that visit will be in the Schengen regime," Czaputowicz said.

Economic and defence cooperation, the future of the European Union in light of Brexit, the EU multi-annual budget, cooperation in infrastructure, digitisation and energy with emphasis on the Three Seas Initiative and connecting the Polish and Croatian LNG terminals, were some of the topics discussed by the two foreign ministers.

The two countries share similar opinions on several issues, particularly with regard to security and defence, Minister Pejcinovic Buric said.

"Energy supply security is the basis of any other security," she said, emphasising that energy diversification is essential in that regard.

The LNG terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk and the terminal in Swinoujscie on the Baltic Sea, which will be connected and which complement the initiative to connect the three seas, the Adriatic, Black and Baltic seas, would contribute to diversification.

"That can be the backbone of the economy" that will spur various forms of economic cooperation, Czaputowicz said.

The two ministers welcomed the economic cooperation between the two countries which currently surpasses 1.1 billion euro.